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Online Reviews: Are They Important for SEO?

Posted: 4th April 2017

If you own a local business do you bother to get any reviews? If not then you are missing out on a whole lot of business. Reviews are really powerful and help your website visitors convert to buy your product or service. They provide trust and reassurance in your company. A recent online review survey found out that:

• 74% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more
• 54% of people will visit the website after reading positive reviews
• 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation
• Only 9% of consumers don’t read online reviews

We often hear that it is really difficult to get reviews, and we do agree but like everything- you have to work at it as a local business – especially if you’ve done a good job. Apparently – according to the survey mentioned above – 7 out of 10 consumers will leave a review if they are asked. So that is a high hit rate if you bother to ask your customers in the first place.

Best Places to Get Online Reviews

It is best to get reviews on a number of platforms so all your eggs aren’t in one basket such as:
• Google+
• Yelp
• Yell
• Freeindex
• Facebook

Why Online Reviews Are Important

Recent analysis by experts in the field of SEO have indicated that the signals that Google gets from reviews may account for 13.1% of the total signals it uses to rank a website. If you have done a good job for your clients you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking for a review.

Make it Easy To Give a Review

It is an effort to write a review and nobody can be bothered really so make it as easy as possible for your client to give one. Send them a follow up email with the actual link to your Google Review page, or Facebook Page etc. – don’t expect them to search for it.

Business Comment

Business Comment is the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce’s bi-monthly magazine. It provides insight on Edinburgh’s vibrant business community, with features on the city’s key sectors, interviews with leading figures and news on new business developments in the capital.